Authorities are still trying to determine how many burglaries a trio from Columbus was involved in before their arrests Wednesday afternoon.
Beau Lutz, 26, Kristin Clifford, 24, and Joshua Devoe, 29, all of Columbus, were arrested Wednesday in connection with several burglaries in Delaware County in recent weeks. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says it is unsure exactly how many burglaries occurred and is still investigating.
They are each charged with two counts of burglaries.
The trio appeared in Delaware Municipal Court Thursday morning and was arraigned by Judge Marianne Hemmeter. All three pleaded not guilty. Their bonds were set at $7,500 each.
They are scheduled to appear again in court on July 10 for a pretrial hearing.
Police scanner traffic Wednesday afternoon indicated that police were tracking white Honda Accord with individuals they suspected were burglars. Police were hoping to catch the suspected burglars in the act, according to scanner traffic.
At about 3 p.m., deputies pulled over a vehicle as it left the scene of a burglarized home on 3 Bs & K Road in Berkshire Township.
Lutz and Clifford remained in the car when it was pulled over but Devoe attempted to flee on foot. He surrendered when he saw police dogs, deputies report.
Several homes are believed to have been burglarized by the individuals in a white Accord, according to authorities. Authorities said the suspects would go to homes during the day and steal items.
Deputies said one of the occupants of the car would go to a home and tell the resident a lie about being directed to the home by GPS, or lie and say they were looking for someone.
In June, the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook, asking county residents to be on the lookout for a white Honda Accord that they suspected had been used in a series of burglaries in Harlem Township and Trenton Township. Earlier Wednesday, Genoa Township police reposted the sheriff’s office warning about the burglars.
Sheriff Russell Martin said he and his staff were grateful for tips, calls, Facebook shares and comments. The sheriff’s office said that, while the posts did not directly result in the arrests, social media is a good way to increase awareness.
The trio is currently in the Delaware County Jail.
